This project is a study by a multidisciplinary international team for the development of a fundamental understanding of the synthesis and functionality of nanobiostructures assembled on aerogels using computational and experimental approaches. Lipid bilayers and biomolecules will be assembled on aerogel supports to form biomembranes of various functionalities. The aerogel substrate confers an advantage over other support structures since each component of the synthetic membrane has access to biologically active materials as in a living cell membrane. The three areas of investigation are: synthesis of aerogel surface with tailored chemistry and structure, creation of synthetic cell membrane-like lipid nano-assemblies, and multi-scale computational modeling of the interaction of the membranes with biologically active molecules. Communication between investigators and inclusion of diverse underrepresented groups will be strongly emphasized.
